John Bayard Anderson, lawyer, former United States Representative from Illinois. Bar: Illinois 1946. Indiana candidate for President United States, 1980. Member World Federalist Association (past president), Center for Global Solutions, Center for Voting and Democracy (chairman board since 1996), Council on Foreign Relations, Phi Beta Kappa.
Background
Ethnicity:
The son of Mabel Edna (née Ring) and E. Albin Anderson, a Swedish immigrant.
Anderson was born Feb. 15, 1922, in Rockford, Ill., the son of a grocer who was the child of Swedish immigrants. His home was frugal and deeply religious (Evangelical Church). He served in the Army in World War II, received a bachelor of law degree from the University of Illinois in 1946 and a master of law degree from Harvard in 1949, and worked for the U.S. Foreign Service in Germany for three years. After a stint of private law practice in Rockford, he was elected on the Republican ticket as state's attorney in 1956 and as congressman in 1960.
For his first three terms Anderson was staunchly conservative, supporting his party against such Democratic programs as food stamps, public service jobs, aid to mass transit, Medicare, and foreign aid. In 1968, however, with riots erupting in Washington and other cities after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., Anderson bucked the Republican leadership and cast a tie-breaking and the only Republican vote in the Rules Committee to send a civil rights open-housing bill to the floor--a bill whose passage he then helped assure. Thereafter he was a champion of civil rights, anti-poverty legislation, federal funds for abortions, and equal rights for women. But on most economic issues, Anderson said, "My heart is on the left and my pocketbook is on the right." He opposed pro-labor legislation and most government subsidies. He supported the Vietnam War consistently, but later he deeply regretted this position, and toward the end of his years in Congress he opposed funding most new weapons systems and draft registration. He was the third-ranking Republican in the House when he became one of the first to urge President Richard M. Nixon to resign. Thereafter Anderson became increasingly estranged from his party.
When he entered the presidential race in 1980, he did so as a rebel, "trying to save the Republican Party from itself." He ran well in second place in the Republican primaries in Massachusetts and Vermont and third in Wisconsin, but in all won only 59 delegates to the Republican convention, not nearly enough to get the nomination. On April 24, with a recent Gallup Poll showing 21 percent of registered voters favoring him, he announced that he would continue to run, but as an independent. On election day Anderson received 7 percent of the popular vote.
Education
He graduated as the valedictorian of his class at Rockford Central High School. He attended the University of Illinois, but his education was interrupted by World War II, when he enlisted in the Army in 1943. He served as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Field Artillery until the end of the war, receiving four battle stars.[6] After the war, Anderson returned to complete his education, eventually earning a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1946. He was admitted to the Illinois bar the same year, and practiced law in Rockford.
Soon after, Anderson moved east to attend Harvard Law School, obtaining a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in 1949. While at Harvard, he served on the faculty of Northeastern University School of Law in Boston.
Instructor, Northeastern University Law School 1948-1949. State Department Career Diplomatic Service 1952-1955. Winnebago County, 111., State’s Attorney 1956-1960.
Congressman, 16th District, 111. November 1960-1979; Chairman House Republican Conference 1979. Industry candidate for United States President 1980.
Chairman National Unity Party. Political Comment ator WLS-TV, Chicago since 1981. Visiting Professor, of Politics Brandeis University since 1980, Oregon State University since 1980, University of Massachussetts since 1980.
Lecturer in Political Science, Bryn Mawr College since 1980, Nova University Central for Study of Law since 1987. Trustee, Trinity College, Deerfield, 111. Honorary Doctor of Laws (111., Wheaton College, Shimer College, Biola College, Geneva College, North Park College, Houghton College, Trinity College).
Indiana candidate for President United States, 1980. Member World Federalist Association (past president), Center for Global Solutions, Center for Voting and Democracy (chairman board since 1996), Council on Foreign Relations, Phi Beta Kappa.
Connections
Married Keke Machakos, January 4, 1953. Children: Eleanora, John Bayard, Diane, Karen, Susan Kimberly.